When Rob Dibble received a text about Amy Van Dyken-Rouen’s injury Saturday morning he felt ill.

“It would be like if any one of my family members had been injured,” Dibble said. “I think it would be the same feeling.”

Over the weekend, Van Dyken-Rouen, a six-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer and Colorado native, severed her spinal cord in an all-terrain vehicle accident near her Arizona home.

Dibble, a former major-league baseball pitcher, worked for two years with Van Dyken-Rouen on Fox Sports Tonight. Van Dyken-Rouen was described to Dibble as the female version of himself, and the first time they met they hit it off.

“As far as competitive and unfiltered and just a free spirit and just what made her a six-time gold medalist and what made me a former major-league pitcher, we’re very similar in personality,” Dibble said. “I would say she’s got a much stronger spirit than I do, that’s one of the things I was drawn to.”

Dibble said their two years working together felt like 20. Van Dyken-Rouen became like a sister to him, and their families grew close.

Dibble said he has talked to Van Dyken-Rouen’s husband, Tom Rouen, by phone and to Van Dyken-Rouen by text. He said their spirits are high, but that it’s still early. Dibble said Tom told him Tuesday night that Van Dyken-Rouen was doing well.

Outside of work, Van Dyken-Rouen was like a mother to everyone, Dibble said. She loved buying gifts for people and made sure everyone was taken care of.

But whenever she was competing or doing something professionally she wanted to be the best.

“Everything she’s been through in her life it’s been something she could overcome, and I wouldn’t say that about a lot of people,” Dibble said. “I’ve played with a lot of professionals, but she’s by far one of the toughest of anyone I’ve ever met.”

Dibble currently works for 97.9 FM ESPN in Connecticut, but said he and his wife would fly to Arizona if they needed to.

Van Dyken-Rouen was active on Twitter the past couple days. She retweeted stories media outlets have written about her, thanked her fans for the support during her recovery and tweeted Wednesday morning: “Just thinking out loud..Now I will get really good seats at @dbacks and other favorite sports teams. #awesome #bringMyOwnChair #goodParking2.”

Van Dyken-Rouen also posted a photo on Instagram from the hospital in Scottsdale, again thanking everyone for their continued support. “Hello everyone,” she wrote. “I cannot express how much your love and support are helping me. #blessyouall #OnDayAtATime.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tyreek Hill didn’t know what to do when he started hearing thousands of people in Arrowhead Stadium chanting his name, even as he stood all alone on the frozen turf waiting for the punt.